Tragedy in 2010
by alexa524
Summary: It's 2010, and the lives of a thief, museum guard, and a schoolgirl are entwined. Kagome and Kikyo look the same but couldn't be more different. And Inuyasha is torn between them. Also has Naraku. And Miroku/Sango.
1. 8 Long Years Too Soon

**A/N: (WARNING: Extremely long. Read at own risk.) Hey hey! alexa524 here! So, this is the actual story, called Tragedy in 2010. I might do a few oneshots though, but they would be posted in a collection. Anyway, I better do a big recap... (The word recap, when used in this sentence, and according to the author, means 'a long story telling you what you need to know, and what you probably don't.' You've been warned.)**

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**Full summary of story:**

**Inuyasha and Kikyo were thrown together, and that ended up in a disaster, so of course, he'd HAVE to end up with her exact twin, right? To make things even better, she's a brat with a bad temper and who has doesn't belong anywhere but her nice, big mansion. **

**Kagome just wanted to hang out with her friends, but it was just one of those days. On top of it all, an incredibly cute guy who also happens to be incredibly annoying, is announced her companion for 'an unforeseeable amount of time.'. **

**Kikyo fell in love with the wrong guy, and has spent the last few years hiding from him and her sister. She's given everything to protect the jewel, so she can protect her sister. She even guarantees good treatment for the guy that started this whole mess. But when two completely different men confront her, which will she reject, and which will she greet with open arms?**

**Naraku is Onigumo, but he isn't. Onigumo certainly wasn't Naraku, although they are like two peas in a pod. The whole schizophrenic deal is awesome for both, but not totally good. Onigumo is the level headed one, and the devious go getter. Naraku is the daring one who prefers to let everyone else do the dirty work. But the one thing they both are completely consistent on, is Kikyo.**

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**Summary of recap: Kikyo and Inuyasha (whose name will be incorrectly spelled -Correct spelling: InuYasha- from now on) are in L-O-V-E!!! But what happens after Kikyo invites Inuyasha to basically help himself to the jewel?**

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**Roles of the main characters: (Who are all human.)**

**Inuyasha- A thief and minor criminal who just spent the last 8 years in jail/juvie.**

**Kagome- A schoolgirl who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.**

**Kikyo- A museum guard who fell in love with the wrong person. Would do anything for those she loves. (Kagome shares this trait)***

**Sango- A bounty hunter.**

**Miroku- A cop.**

**Shippo- A little boy who fell into the wrong crowd. Loves to play pranks on Inuyasha.**

**Naraku- Former guard and co-worker of Kikyo in the Jinja museum. Now a struggling crimelord. Wants the Shikon no Tama for own devious purposes. Controls others through blackmail and promises in order to get what he wants.**

**Kagura- An assassin who just wants to get away from Naraku. Reluctantly does what he wants because he controls her through an implanted bomb he can set off at any time with his remote control.**

**Kanna- An assassin like her younger sister. Does what Narsku wants so Kagura won't die.**

**Hakudoshi- Not an assassin, but pretty good at killing. Naraku has his brother.**

**The infant- Is now a young boy. Moryamaru protects him/guards him.**

**Moryamaru- A bodyguard. Obeys Naraku 'coz he's to dumb to realize he's being manipulated.**

**Byakuya- A technician guy, who's good with technology. Basically. (I have no knowledge of technology whatsoever! So he isn't gonna have very many speaking parts!)**

**Muso- A cousin of Naraku. Follows Naraku because, hey, family's gotta stick together, right?**

**Kohaku- A bounty hunter in training. Follows Naraku because Naraku gave him a memory wipe (I am going by what I saw on The Incredibles. I don't even know if that's been invented, so... if it hasn't, Kohaku hit his head on a rock.).**

**Sesshomaru- Powerful crimelord. Known as 'Lord of the Western City'. Becasue he basically OWNS the western part of the city. Wants to kill Inuyasha for reasons unknown at this time.**

**Jaken- Bald guy who follows Sesshomaru arround. Acts as his accountant/adviser/henchman. Constantly fretting.**

**Rin- Was a young girl at the time of Inuyasha's imprisonment. Now the same age as Kagome, but still hangs out with her saviour, Sesshomaru-sama.**

**Koga- A leader of a gang known as 'The Wolf Pack'. Pursued by a fellow gang leader, Ayame, who is leader of 'The Iris Wolves'. (Misspelling of Irish? I blame their agent.)**

**Myoga- An old man. Who knows how to hide. Taught Inuyasha everything he knows.**

***note: Kagome and Kikyo are not reincarnatedwhoodawhats, or even relatives. They're total strangers who just happen to look like each other. Part of this is due to my inability to imagine them related or imagine the process and concept of reincarnation. But mostly it's 'coz Kikyo isn't **_**really**_** dead...**

**All other characters have similar roles! Okay, on to the official recap!**

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**Kikyo's parents are dead and she has to raise Kaede. They move from foster home to foster home until Kikyo is eighteen. Kikyo quits her last job and accepts a job at the Jinja museum. While there she meets Onigumo, Tsubaki, and Inuyasha. She falls in love with Inuyasha, and Onigumo and Inuyasha fall in love with her. Tsubaki hates her guts. Tsubaki also causes a fire, which lands Onigumo in the hospital, spoiling his plans to steal the jewel. Inuyasha and Kikyo make plans to steal the jewel and run away together, but then Onigumo, who gave into Schizophrenia, (so I really should say Naraku) Okay, **_**Naraku**_**impersonates Inuyasha and attacks Kikyo. He then makes Kagura attack Inuyasha dressed as Kikyo. They fall for his trickery, and a wounded Kikyo turns in Inuyasha, who was stealing the jewel. Kikyo then supposedly dies, and Inuyasha ends up in prison with a ten year sentence. However, Kikyo's body mysteriously disappeared...**

**If that wasn't enough, go read my prologue, "When everything was perfect". Or not. Just don't flame me for my long-winded foreword and rather short story. Please.**

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Tick-tock, Tick-tock. The clock above her sang the sound of time passing away. Slowly, Kagome turned her head towards the boy sitting next to her. Her brown eyes met molten gold, and she turned away from his scowl. She glanced down at the ground, annoyed that her feet couldn't touch the ground, but his could. He was tall, with long white hair and an whiskery face. His red prison uniform marked him as a criminal, yet here she was, seated next to him. She scooted along he bench till she was as far away from him as possible, and tried to remember what had gotten her here in the first place.

_"Oh, Kagome! You never, never, never come shopping with us! Puh-leeeeez?" Ayumi begged, Eri and Yuka flanking her. Kagome frowned and agreed, against her better judgement. She had a test she had to study for, but she hadn't been out with her friends for awhile. Decisions, decisions. And of only she hadn't made a certain one..._

_The woman grabbed Kagome, shaking her. Kagome glanced towards the direction of her friends, but they didn't notice she'd fallen behind. "Give me the jewel!" The woman screeched, her foul breath hot against Kagome's face. "Give it to me!" Kagome would have screamed of not for the sweaty hand clamped tightly over her mouth. The woman's face lit up in a greedy smile as she whipped out a knife. She edged Kagome's shirt up a little, and turned the blades toward her stomach. Kagome's heart thumped faster and faster, 'till she could hear nothing else. That's why it was such a shock when in a blur of red and white, a boy's face was suddenly in front of her's, and the woman thrown away. "Hadakamushi." He hissed, before leaning towards Kagome. She could only stare up at him, wondering how one could be so strong. "No.. It can't... Ki-Kikyo?" Kagome squinted up at him, fighting the screams that wanted to tear from her throat. She had to remain calm, even if she had just been threatened and rescued._

_The boy glanced towards the woman, who was struggling up. "Funny. I seem to remember you being able to take down people like her in your sleep, Kikyo." The boy spat out, eyes on the now approaching woman. Kagome clutched her shopping bag, and scooted as far away from the two as possible. "Ka-go-me. My name is Kagome." Weird how in the midst of certain danger and an uncertain ally, she could get mad about such a small detail as a name. Who in the world was Kikyo anyway?_

"Inuyasha." The harsh voice snapped Kagome back to reality. The boy beside her stiffened before laughing bitterly. "Kaede. Commissioner, eh? My, how you've grown." Kagome turned and saw a short woman glaring at the both of them, but at the sight of Kagome her face softened. "She really does look just like her." She murmured, reaching out towards Kagome's face. Inuyasha stared at the older woman. "Kaede, what do you mean, looks just like her?" Kaede shook her head. "I forgot, you were taken away before you noticed. Kikyo was wounded by you Inuyasha, and now she's dead."

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**A/N: Um... great, it's short, just like the first chapter of the prologue. But it had to end here, 'coz it's way to late for me. *YAWNS* Well, I should have another chapter up within the weekend, unless of course I get writer's block. So, as far as I know, I haven't gotten any reviews. PLEASE!!??!! I know it's a lot to ask for after that big long recap/author's note, but I'd still really like one... please?**


	2. Kikyo Is Dead

**A/N: I can't believe it! After that long, long, long foreword (see last chapter), I completely forgot the disclaimer!!**

**So, lawyers, if you are reading this, DO NOT SUE!!!! I won nothing of Inuyasha. Everything belongs to Rumiko Takahashi or however you spell her name. I DON'T OWN ANYTHING EXCEPT SOME POORLY DRAWN SKETCHES!!!! And my computer, which I use to watch anime :D**

**Okay, so I want to say a big thank you to DarkBaby* and WolfGirl64 for my very first reviews!!! I really enjoy feedback, and I actually feel so inspired now that I have someone wanting an update. **

***note: DarkBaby reviewed my prologue, a separate story titled "When everything is perfect". Because it was, well, perfect.**

**And now that I have disclaimed, on to the story!!!!**

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_Kikyo is... dead?_

_She died that night?_

_And I..._

_I killed her?_

His heart wouldn't stop beating so loudly. The girl beside him, Kikyo's twin, glanced at him with a pitying look. His anger bristled.

_She... she doesn't know anything! Why would she even bother? She should mind her own business. Soft people like her get hurt._

He tried to convince himself he didn't care, that it didn't matter, but his emotions betrayed him.

_Those walks around town... her arm in his... her head on his chest... her smile, her eyes, the wind blowing out her hair, her tears, her laughter, her soft reprimands... all gone._

Kaede peered down at him, before blinking back tears. "How can you sit there in silence? How can you pretend you didn't know? You killed her, Inuyasha, and my sister died in my hands!"

But that never happened. Inuyasha hadn't killed Kikyo. He would never have hurt her. Even as he watched her disappear through the window of an armed truck, Inuyasha had felt no hatred.

_"So be it, Kikyo." Inuyasha murmered, lower then she could hear, lower then the guards in the truck could hear, almost lower then he could. He let himself be taken away, let them lock him up for 8 years. He'd spent 8 years in a dreamlike state, with only dim memories of his surroundings. The only thing in his mind was those last moments, those last tears._

_"Inuyasha. How could you?" Kikyo's voice, harsh with disappointment, fell upon his ears. After she'd attacked him, rebuked him, brought him down with harsh words. That voice was as if she hadn't done those things, a genuinely innocent voice. Her tears -part rage, part grief- trickled down her cheeks as she lowered her hand, dropping her gun._

He could never get the sight of her out of his head.

--

Kagome stared at the commissioner and Inuyasha. Both were lost in thought, Inuyasha with a nostalgically sad face, and Kaede as pained as if she were physically hurt. Kikyo. The mere mention of the name created reactions in the pair. And what was all the _"You look just like her."_crap about? Kagome could only hope they'd tell her.

Kaede and Inuyasha eventually came back to reality, and Kaede took them to a small room. At one wall was a large window, tinted and reflective. A table with three chairs stood in the middle, and a single light was centered in the middle of the ceiling. Exactly how they were shown on TV. Kaede pulled out a chair and motioned for Inuyasha to take a seat, and Kagome to sit next to him. Kagome brushed her skirt aside and sat down on the folding chair, the cold metal biting against her legs. And Kaede began the questioning.

An hour later, feeling exhausted, Kagome exited the police building, Inuyasha in tow. Her head felt dizzy. How was it she ended up like this? She turned back towards the delinquent, who was fidgeting with his new collar. He scowled and stopped when he saw her looking at him, and instead bent down to pull off his shoes. What? Was? He? Doing?

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He smirked up at her, as she stared at him in indignant surprise. He gave a final tug, and the shoe fell off. Much better. Much, much better. Again the girl stared at him and he sighed. "Ever been on the streets?" Her brow darkened in confusion, and his gaze fell to her skirt.

Wow. Wow wow wow wow. That skirt was hand-embroidered silk. Wow. He let his eyes wander down to her flats, before his eyes popped out. Leather, handmade, possible Italian. Was this girl made of money? Rich or not, she noticed his amazed stare.

"My car's this way." Inuyasha nodded, and followed her over to a shiny red convertible. Wow. Wow wow wow wow.

--

Kagome frowned and glanced at her passenger through the corner of her eye. He was fiddling with the radio, and had managed to get a hip-hop song on. He met her eyes and slowly smirked, before putting on the bass. Kagome tensed, and turned her attention back to the wheel. Now would be the perfect time to see if that voice activated collar worked...

_Bzzz._

"Ow! What the! What was that for?"

Kagome smiled. At last, a plus to her day.

--

**A/N: It wasn't/t... so bad, right? I mean, c'mon! Kaede is PERFECT. Not at all out of character...**

**Kaede: That's because you portray me at an age that was never shown in the anime...**

**Me: Oh, shut up! I think it's just because you are a very un-complex character!**

**Kaede: Gasp!**

**Me: Take that! Next time any characters start back talking to me, I'll show 'em! Bring it on!**

**And yes, I do have conversations with fictional characters. All the time. Why, don't you?**

**Oh, and Inuyasha's collar is a version of the anklet from White Collar. I actually don't know what exactly the anklet does, but I'm pretty sure it's a tracking device. So I combined that with a zapper thing. And added voice activation. *I am a genius* ^.^**


	3. Aaaaaaaahhhh!

Inuyasha smiled as the wind tickled his hair. This car was awesome. It was a new model, maybe something that had come out while he was in jail? The very thought of missing out on 8 years was enough to dampen his mood. That, and the fact Kagome had turned the radio on to some classical station really bugged him.

He was out of jail, right? He should be able to enjoy himself, right? Wrong. Dead wrong. He had to accompany this.. this... remnmant of his past. A girl who looked exactly like Kikyo but acted stuck up. She was bossy too, as her conquest over the radio had proved. Seriously, if it weren't for this stinking collar, she'd be dead.

Okay, maybe not dead, but close to it!

After all, he certainly didn't need a murder charge on his hands.

And if he was gonna kill someone, it might as well be someone worthwhile, like Sesshomaru. Not some spoiled princess.

Speaking of which, the girl driving the car, Kagumi or Kigoma or something like that, was glaring at something.

Or someone.

"Souta." She hissed between clenched teeth. Inuyasha turned his attention to the boy in the road. He looked like the girl, and was holding a yowling cat.

A cat, why did it have to be a cat?

The boy petted the creature as he waited for her. Inuyasha glanced towards Kagumi... Kogoma... Kigoma... Ku- Kikyo's twin, and saw that she was staring straight ahead, hands gripping the steering wheel. "Stay here." She seethed, before she exited the car. Inuyasha sighed and sat back down as she walked over to the boy, presumably her brother, and pointed towards gate. Inuyasha followed her hand, and nearly gasped. The driveway alone was humongous, the gate exquisitely elaborate, but the house itself...

How had he not noticed that architectural feat? Man, this girl was so annoying! Not only was he forbidden to beat her up because of the thrice-cursed collar, he couldn't even _steal_? Stupid cops, stupid scientist-who-invented-the-collar, and stupid girl for being so rich! Every bone in him was just aching to relieve her of some of her cash, her car, and maybe those diamond earrings. Heh, maybe they were a gift from her boyfriend, even better. Sentimental things were always the best things to steal from your enemies.

But of course, he couldn't even inflict that torture upon her.

Stupid cops.

Stupid collar.

Stupid rich people and their overblown homes.

--

Inuyasha was glaring at something in the distance. Kagome followed his eyes to her house. Figures. He was, after all, a convicted felon. Kagome slid into the driver's seat and closed the door. She started the car in silence, trying to figure out where to take him. She settled for a little farther down the road, at an empty park.

"Why?" Inuyasha asked, staring at the playground. Kagome frowned. "Because there's no one here. I need to talk to you. Now, I know neither of us wanted this arrangement, but you get two years off your sentence, I don't get grounded for life, and my mom thought I should take some responsibility. Like it was my fault I had a treasure implanted in me and then removed during a mugging!"

_The boy brushed his silver hair back, glancing at her with a smirk. "Don't joke with me, Kikyo. Now, care to explain a few things?" His smile glinted dangerously in the sunlight, and his jaw hardened as he stared into her eyes. But as Kagome felt the fear stirring inside her, he was shoved aside. Rough hands lifted her shirt back up again, and she felt a sharp pain on her lower abdomen. She raised her head and met the cold eyes of Hadakamushi, the woman who had attacked her before. More pain shot up her stomach, and the woman lifted up a blood dripping hand. Barely distinguishable through her blood, a sparkle from the sun hit her eyes. Inside her, there was a pink, round jewel. Or was. Now, with the gaping hole in her side and the gem in the hands of a mugger, Kagome fought back. She didn't have a lot of strength, but there was a gun, not to far from where she lay. She grabbed it, and aimed. The gun recoiled and hit her head before she saw if she hit the woman or not._

_When she awoke, she was in the hospital, grandpa, brother, and mom watching her intently. She had stitches, but she had healed fast. A few days later and she was fine, scheduled for her stitches to be removed and able to leave. They told her what had happened after she'd fainted, and she still couldn't believe it._

_Her rescuer, Inuyasha, had fought Hadakamushi 'till the police arrived. He was recognised and recaptured, seeing as how he was an escaped convict. The jewel, a long ago stolen treasure, was shattered by Kagome's bullet. Normally, the police would let it slide. But this jewel was special. It was a chemically created jewel, and when the whole thing was placed in a scanner, the sequence of the molecules created a code. This code would unlock a Swiss bank account, and pieces of the code unlocked smaller ones. So not only was the jewel, the Shikon no Tama, a perfect gem, with a clear cut and great value, it was a secret key created by the scientist/crimelord Midoriko. One that unlocked billions of dollars._

_"Kagome, Commissioner Kaede has approached us with a request. She's to busy to go after the shards herself, but she has an officer who is volunteering to help. Also, Inuyasha has agreed to offer his assistance in exchange for 2 years off his sentence, and the whole escaping issue forgotten. But... because the collar can't be taken off unless you program it to a password, something that was skipped over in the rush to stop Inuyasha, the collar can't be taken off. It won't respond to any other person either, dear. And since your part way responsible for this whole thing, I told Commissioner Kaede that you would participate in the quest for the jewel. Because Inuyasha is known to go back on his word, they want you there with him. I don't want you to have to stay at that police headquarters though, so I offered to have Inuyasha stay at our place, along with the cop. Also, when you are searchign for the jewel you could use our house as the headquarters..."_

_Kagome snapped the phone shut, turning three shades of red. She just couldn't read it anymore! Her hands formed fists and she trembled with rage before screaming_

_"!!!!!!!!!"_


	4. Miroku

**A/N: Hallooo!!! I haven't updated in awhile, and no Yuuki-Chan64, Kagome is not a spoiled brat. Inuyasha just decided to go and stereotype her. (Stupid Inuyasha) The song mentioned below is Franz Liszt's Theme for Liebstraume #3, A Dream of Love. Yes I listen to classical music. Yes I enjoy it. :P**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha, Kagome, Souta, Mrs. Higurashi, Mr. Higurashi, Grandpa Higurashi, Kikyo, or Buyo. I did, however, write this pure-awesomeness story, and I would appreciate no trashing. (I'm just kidding, my story is NOTHING compared to these great fanfics I find on here, and you can trash all you want! Hehe)**

_Da dun... dun... dun... da da da da da daaaa da da da da dun dun da dun!_

Urgh... more classical music...

I squirmed on the sofa and stared at Kikyo's twin (her official title).

She glared back.

I squirmed again.

Well, it wasn't my fault. The cat attacked me first.

Souta went back and forth between the two of us, his eyes nearly bugging out.

"Kagome... why is he barefoot?"

I laughed then, out of the mouths of babes...

The girl shrugged her shoulders.

"It's just the way he is, I guess. He's got a right to how he wears his footwear or if he wears none, just like everyone else."

I was rolling on the floor, in hysterics. Both Higurashis stared at me, with those brown eyes. Exactly like Kikyo's. I quickly sobered.

Kikyo.

Dead.

And I killed her.

_Bzz._

"Owwwwwwwwwwww!! Argh!! I'll kill yo- ahhhh!"

"And that, Souta, is what the collar is for."

Someday, that rich girl was gonna pay.

--

_Ba da da da daa... ding ding, ding ding. Ba da da da daa... ding ding, ding ding. Ba da da da daaaa! da da daaaa! da da da, da da, da da da da da_

My cell phone, ringing. Inuyasha stared at me oddly as he heard the ringtone, before he started snickering. I rolled my eyes and opened the phone.

"Hello, this is Kagome speaking."

"Miss Kagome Higurashi, right?"

"Uh, yeah, why?"

"This is officer Miroku. Your doorbell seems to be broken."

I hmmphed and hung up the phone. Stupid doorbell was always breaking. I walked over to our door, and opened it. Miroku stood outside, or so the name on the badge said.

He smiled as soon as he saw me, and knelt. "Kagome, would you do me the honor of bearing my child?"


	5. Making Plans

**A/N: Yes! I finally managed to get Miroku into the story! Yes, I know that in the actual story they find Shippo first, but if it were up to me he wouldn't exist... so if I do end up adding him at all, you'll be lucky!**

**Disclaimer: I am not in any way, shape, or form Rumiko Takahashi. I'm just a poor little fanfic writer, who does NOT need to be sued.**

**To Yuuki-Chan64: Thanks so much for your reviews! Your the best! *hug***

**EDIT: I can't belive I haven't updated. I'm horrible. Sorry!**

_**Thwack!**_

Souta walked over to the door before running into another room- one of many in this museum of a house. "I'll get an icepack!"

Kagome, followed by a familiar looking police officer, stormed into the house. Inuyasha could practically see the waves of anger rolling off her. Kind of disturbing. And scary. Very scar-wait! Hey, no! He was _not _scared of some rich snob, right?

As soon as Kagome saw Inuyasha, who may or may not have had tufts of cat fur laying around him, she glared.

Inuyasha gulped.

Oh yeah, he was scared. He was cowering in fear.

Souta, Kagome's darling little brother, arrived with an icepack just in time to break the heated tension in the room.

_Yeah, so maybe I overreacted._

Nope, definitely not.

_**Thwack!**_

Miroku rubbed his head absently, smiling a silly grin.

This was going to be a very long 'unforseeable amount of time'.

Inuyasha watched the bruise slowly forming on the officer's face. "Kagome..." Souta said, observing the forming bump on the cop's head.

Kagome scowled, and glared at everyone in the room

They all gulped, and tried not to make eye contact with the ferocious beast that had replaced the spoiled teenager girl they all knew and loved.

Man, she was fierce when she was mad. One more reason not to steal from this family. He eyed the wounds on the policeman. Nope, he definitely would _not_ be messing around with her anytime soon.

Kagome frowned at the three as they cowered behind a couch, arms held above their heads in a defensive position. It's not like she was gonna kill anyone, right? Okay, maybe the cop. Possibly Inuyasha. But not Souta. Never Souta. She'd promised her dad, hadn't she? Mom and Souta and Grandpa needed her.

Almost as badly as she needed to hit someone. But then, the doorbell rang.

"Phew! Saved by the bell!" She heard the cop mutter. She turned to him, fire in her brown eyes. He gulped and ducked lower, curled into a ball. She grinned and headed for the door, knowing no one was there, but it never hurt to check.

As she expected, no one was outside. Stupid doorbell always rang 5 minutes after it was pressed.

"Kagome, dear, is someone there?" Kagome looked up to her mother, dressed elegantly in a yellow dress and standing at the top of the staircase, trying to fix her hair.

"No, of course not, mom. No one is ever there when the doorbell rings. Especially a repairman." Kagome's mother smiled and, started down the stairs.

"Alright, just checking. Now, why are you so mad?" She tilted her head quizically as she sat on the very couch the three were hiding behind. One by one their heads popped up, Miroku blushing furiously. Kagome stifled a giggle as she walked over to an easy chair.

"No reason in particular."

Her mother smiled and nodded "Now then," She said calmly, turning around to peer at the trio. "Why don't you all come out of there and sit? My Kagome wouldn't hurt a flea."

Inuyasha laughed until Kagome glared at him and clenched her fist.

"Ah ha ha ha-agh... hack, hack." He hid his chuckles with a sudden fit of coughing. Kagome rolled her eyes and waited for her mother to begin talking.

"Now, I suggest we all start by talking why we are here and what we can do to help this officer search for the shards. I'll begin." Mrs Higurashi stated in a clipped, official tone she used when meeting with people of importance. "I am Aira Higurashi, Kagome and Souta's mother. In your quest for the jewel, I offer all my resources and my home for use as a headquarters." She beamed, and nodded towards Souta.

"Um, hi, I'm Souta and, um... I don't really know how I can help." Souta hung his head, and Kagome snuck over and hugged him.

"I'm Kagome. I'm going to help even though I don't want to, and I'll be counting on my little brother for support." Souta looked up at her and smiled the way only little brothers can. Kagome knew, even though Inuyasha and Miroku had seen her soft spot, that saying what she had was worth it for his smile and the thanks in his eyes.

Keh. How touching. How _soft_. How like a rich person.

And... how human. Kagome hadn't seemed to care about anyone or anything. When she'd driven him to the park, was she really just watching out for her brother? She'd do better to look out for herself. You don't get anywhere in the world by helping and loving. The weak die and the strong survive. That's the way it was.

Still... the motherly look on her face, the look of pure joy... oh, it was his turn. No wonder they were all staring at him.

"Um... I'm Inuyasha. I, uh, escaped from prison with two years left, but if I help out in the search for the shards, I get to go back with no charge for ecaping. Um... I know the area where the jewel was shattered and I have valuble information." He finished with a glare at Kagome, who had been holding a hand over her mouth and shaking with mirth at his last words.

"Okay, so I guess I'm next." The cop said. "I'm Miroku. I'm in charge of the search, because the police department does not recognize this as top priority because of the nature of the case. Most of the shards were scooped up by passerby thieves, and will show up sooner or later at the station. Our investigation will involve going undercover to work with rumors, many of which will prove false. We may recieve more recruitments, but that's not a definite. On behalf of the station, I extend our gratitude to Mrs Higurashi for allowing us to use her home and to Miss Kagome for helping out in the search. Regretfully, as we will be doing most of our work on the other side of town, we won't be able to use this beautiful home much. But nevertheless, the Higurashi's help in this investegation is very welcome, and the Tokyo PD thank you!"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. One more blabbering cop he'd have to deal with. Just one more cop. One more uniform.

One more girl. One more girl with those heartmelting brown eyes. One more girl with that cheeky smile. One more girl with tears, girl with a tender heart, girl with more then she knew. One more innocent. One more girl. Just one. No more. He could deal.

Kagome was just another girl.

... Right?


	6. Aya's Place

**A/N: I'm craqppy. I should have updated. Sorry!**

At last! Back on the streets! Inuyasha led the two to a dillapidated building, men with tattoos and greedy smirks peering from the windows. Inuyasha smiled.

Home. At last.

He glanced back at Kagome, and chuckled. She looked ridiculous. She scowled back.

Kagome lifted her feet gingerly over the trash, cigarette stubs, rotting food, and general decay of the streets. Her new shoes, scuffed up canvas sneakers from a second-hand store, dug into her ankle. The tiresome footwear were only part of the outfit Inuyasha had picked out for her.

Skinny jeans, torn beyond recognition. A faded shirt that was a little to tight, with a graphic of a musician she didn't know. A choker. A silver ring and a few bracelets. Worst yet, her hair. Her beautiful hair had been ruined! Chopped into layers by a hairdresser working in -of all places: Wal-Mart!

If only her mother had refused to let her daughter join in the investigation, as a normal mother would. What had happened to her mother anyway? Ever since dad died, she'd been trying to do the right thing. Never got angry, never yelled, never complained... never normal.

Sighing, she dodged a mound of moldy clothes and turned around, examining Miroku.

The offficer had also been treated to a makeover -Inuyasha style. He wore a blue and purple jacket over a brown tee. His jeans were baggy and pulled low to reveal a pair of blue and white plaid boxers. His skater shoes, like the rest of his outfit, was from the secondhand store too. All of this made him look like a very badly dressed teenager, when Miroku couldn't be less than 25!

Inuyasha himself was barefoot and clad in a red hoodie and torn, bagggy jeans. He, though, didn't seem to mind the sloppy outfit. Probably what the white-haired boy was used too.

Boy. Technically, that was incorrect. Inuyasha was 21, or so Kaede had said. "Same age as her, huh." Kagome murmered. At least he looked somewhat his age, minus the absent shoes. She rolled her eyes at his back, wishing _someone _could explain to her why and how she got mixed up in a crazy bunch like this.

Inuyasha led the two inside the building. Here was where he had stayed, when he'd had money to pay the rent, that is. Here was where everyone stayed. Aya, the owner of the building, didn't question her tenants or turn them in if she found out they were doing illegal business. Well, being that she was half deaf, it helped her keep up her charade of 'knowing nothing'.

Aya herself was behind the 'reception desk'. A small, beat up buffet table with an ancient computer and a small bowl of stale mints on it. Aya glanced up as she heard the bells on the entrance clanging. "Oi! Inuyasha-sama, and guests, I see." She all but shouted. "Is she your girlfriend?" Aya pointed to Kagome, who blushed and looked repulsed at the same time. Inuyasha rolled his eyes.

"Hey, Aya. She's not my girlfriend, just a friend. Her name is Kagome Higura. This is Miroku Hoshi. We're here about some rooms? Maybe a suite or two adjoining ones?" He shouted in a relatively calm voice for shouting. Aya bobbed her graying head and shuffled to the computer.

"Haven't seen you for awhile, Inu. Had to rent out your old room to some sisters, Kagura and Kanna, I believe. Saved some of your stuff for you, but I had to junk the most of it." She handed him a box from under the desk. Inuyasha peered inside, examining the contents while keeping up the loud conversation.

"Yeah, yeah, I got arrested. Thought maybe you'd seen it on your old TV or something, if you can still afford cable. Surprised you didn't hear about from someone, it was a pretty big deal." There in the box sat his heirloom gun, the Tetsusaiga. A pair of worn out sneakers and a police scanner, along with numerous charts and diagrams of the old Jinja Museum, sat on under it. the rest of the contentswere pretty buried, but he managed to dig to them. A few books, a notebook, a disposable camera, a picture of him and his mom. _Mom._

He coughed and cleared his throat before continuing. "Don't remember much of it. The trial, the prison, everything's a blur. Found out later I was charged with murder, but there wasn't a lot of evidence. I was a minor too, and I guess I had a pretty good lawyer. Ten years imprisonment, with a transfer when I was 18 to a real prison. Now that I remember." He chuckled, joyless and with a sarcastic mirth that was apparent to everyone in the room. He scanned the box again, looking for something he may have missed.

"Y'know, do you even watch the news anymore? 'Coz I was on the news, just escaped from prison, so, I'd think you'd know." Aya rolled her eyes.

"Like I have time to watch TV, Inu. I just bought that new building next door, Akane went and got herself engaged so she's only half time help, and Mizuki and Tsuyashi finally got married and ran off to America, and Ojiisan Ichiro died of a heart attack awhile back. I'm here alone, with just Mayu and my little Nana-chan, trying to keep up two buildings. I need help though, if you know anyone who can cook and serve meals, make a good bed, and doesn't mind the customers,"

Kagome backed up, not liking the glint in Inuyasha's eyes. "Of course I know someone, right Kagome-san?" He yelled. Kagome figured from the conversation, all very loud, that Aya was half deaf. And with the small room and the raised voices, Kagome feared before it was all over she would be deaf too.

"Um..." She said, not quite understanding. "Wait, you mean me? Of course not! I mean..." She stopped when she saw his face. It was begging, pleading. He kind of looked like a dog or a puppy, his eyes wide and his posture eager. "Well, I suppose I could do part-time."

"What?" Aya yelled, waving her arms in a frantic attempt to catch either Inuyasha's or Kagome's attention. Kagome broke free from his gaze and turned to Aya.

"I. Said. Half time! I'll help half time!" Kagome yelled at her, flames engulfing her glare. Aya shrunk back from the furious girl, and nodded to show she understood. Kagome whirled and stalked down the hall to a patched easy chair. As she sat down, realization of what she had been doing before Aya stole her attention sunk into her.

_I was staring at Inuyasha. And he was staring back._

_But, I wasn't just staring... I was thinking. Thinking of how amazing he looks. Thinking, and appreciating his earnesty. Imagining _his _temper. Wishing he would look at me like that more often, instead of the emotionless stares or the quiet scoffing or the heartbroken gaze that went right through me and into another. Someone else. Another who wasn't there. Someone from his past. And someone he'd cared for deeply, been pained by deeply, resented deeply, and cherished deeply. But not me._

Kagome blinked, and was surprised to find her eyelashes dampened. She brushed them with her fingertip, and frowned. They weren't because of him. Certainly not.

Inuyasha? Making her cry? Never.

_I haven't cried since dad's murder. I haven't cried since the funeral. I don't cry. He can't make me cry._

Kagome clenched her fists and ground her teeth. Nobody made her cry. Not even the guy who killed dad. Someday, she'd track him down and put an end to his miserable life. That was what happened to people who made her cry. Inuyasha wouldn't get away with this. Not in a million years.

_But they were because of him. Because of him, and the someone else. The someone else that isn't me, can't be me, could never be me._

_But I am here, and someone else isn't._

_... Not to him. Someone else is always here. Always loving, hurting, hating, and longing for him._

And again, the pair of lovers, opponents, enemies, and soul mates caused another tear to fall from the lonely girl in the beat-up chair.


	7. King & Queen

**A/N: The last of three chapters I had written but forgot to post! Chapter 8 is in the making so I should have it up soon.**

Kikyo brushed back her long hair, only glancing in the mirror briefly. The hurt look in her eyes was long gone, as were all her feelings.

Or so she hoped.

She'd spent years, years, and years waiting for this. The chance to go back out. 8 years, full of harsh training and lonely moments, tears and pumped fists, teamwork and enemies. But most of all, thoughts of him. Of them. Of that time when she'd cried in his shirt, the time when he poured out his heart, the time when they'd both sat next to each other and kissed.

All those times faded away through the years as the most prominent memory surfaced, the last one Kikyo had of him.

_Inuyasha, clad in red as usual, snuck up behind her. Kikyo recognized the soft step, the swish of too-loose jeans, the scent of his powerful deoderant. She turned around, joy in her expression, and met the gun._

_But it was not the gun that struck that cold fear into her heart._

_His unwavering hands, the small smirk. The cold, lifeless gold eyes that glinted dangerously in the strong sunlight. Inuyasha was the same as her parents' murderer. He squeezed the trigger, and her worst fear came true._

_She was alone, dying alone, by the hand of the one she'd cared for. Kaede was alone, and would be left alone, having to defend for herself. All her promises and vows were broken, and she was left helpless to stop her life from uraveling, her world from collapsing._

_The jewel was gone, with it someone who should pay._

_No. Someone who _would _pay! Kikyo staggered to her feet, holding her wound tightly. The blood spilled out of her hand, littering the floor. She almost faltered as she saw her life trickling away so quickly, but the memories came back. And then, she couldn't let that viper -that deciever- get away with what he had done. She would stop him if she died trying._

_Her fist tightened and she bent down, and picked up the very gun whose bullet was deep inside her, wreaking turmoil in her body. And she left. Heading where, she didn't know, but the sun was fading fast. And so, she was drawn to them. The jewel and him. And the home of her weak fears, pain, and sorrow. The Jinja museum._

_Inuyasha turned, resentment in his gaze. She almost fell down to her knees as she saw the man she'd come to love glaring at her. His determination showed as he executed perfect twirls and jumps over the swarming police and the flames of the twice-ruined museum. His hands curled around something, the flames reflected on the glassy exterior._

_A tear fell. Maybe two. Kikyo lifted her hand, slowly, as if her heart was still unsure. She quieted herself, reminding her body she had only minutes to live. Pain creeped through her shoulder, and she almost dropped the gun._

_"Augh!" She screamed. Inuyasha twirled towards her midleap, his hair fanning in front. The reluctant concern and the shock on his face was the strange thing that comforted her._

_"Kikyo!" Two voices sang out, almost lost in the excited babble of the blue uniforms. Kikyo turned to the familiar voice, and saw Kaede._

_Her black hair gently waved in the slight wind. Her eyes were on the gun Kikyo held. Kikyo's resolve crumpled, with only a shred remaining, refusing to give up it's hold on her heart. She almost didn't make it, almost couldn't pull the trigger. It took everything in her to turn away from her sister, but a pang of pain brought back the fact that she didn't have long to live. And that was because of Inuyasha._

_Inuyasha..._

_The fool!_

_**Bang!**_

_He fell to the ground, arm covered in splattered blood. Kikyo sank to the ground, to stunned by the recoil of the gun and the pain in her shoulder to do much else. She felt a vague presence of Kaede, felt her long hair brush over her face. Saw the red and blue lights of the squad cars reflected in overflowing eyes. Felt a drop on her nose, a drop on her wrist, a drop on her forehead..._

_And then she was being hugged, though it felt as if only part of her was there, and the other part was watching the scene. All Kikyo could do was limply let Kaede embrace her and softly cry._

_And then, something made her lift her eyes to the combined ambulance/criminal transport car where Inuyasha was being led. His arm was shot and bleeding, but it wasn't a fatal wound. Something in her hadn't let her do it, and had jerked the gun a little to the right as she pulled the trigger._

_Someone said something to him in a tear-choked voice. She only realized later that it had been her. She dropped the gun, and sank back into her sister's arms, eyes never leaving the thief._

_Inuyasha turned away from the men escorting him to the car, and met Kikyo's eyes. Kikyo would have blushed at the depth of the exchange, the raw feeling inside his gaze, if not for the circumstances and the emotion in his eyes being anger. The time when she was free to feel what she wanted to was so far away, it felt like years. The only thing that mattered was now._

_But no matter how she tried, she couldn't break her gaze away from the young thief she'd called more than friend, and their eyes remained locked until the car faded out of sight, taking the glimpse of Inuyasha peering from the window with it. And Kikyo dropped her head, letting the last things she'd see be Inuyasha -leaving forever- and her sister's distraught face._

_And then it was dark, and Kikyo was alone._

_The darkness called to her, begging her to succumb, and she tried. She avoided the nagging feeling she should open her eyes, embraced the pain in her shoulder, let the adrenaline from the bullet she fired wash out. And then she was not alone, and the fire was there with her in the darkness._

_It consumed her, ate up her flesh, creeped into her mind, threatened to drive her insane. And Kikyo smiled. Perhaps she already was insane._

_The fire was her friend, her deliverer, her knight in shining armor. It would rescue her, and take her away from this world. She had no ties to it anymore. And even if she fought it, both the fire and her knew that the pain would win. She would die anyway._

_The burning sensation crept into what was left, and it hurt too bad to feel anymore. Kikyo could laugh, it was almost over._

_But then the pain recoiled. It had found something it didn't like, didn't want to consume. She screamed with rage before realizing that the anger at the unfairness was what the fire didn't want, what pain was afraid to go up against. Her protesting cries echoed in the nothingness, the shadows hastening away._

_And before Kikyo could calm herself, the pain was gone, the fire was doused, the consumer filled and in full retreat._

_Kikyo woke up on a hospital bed, too spent to do much but listen and see, not enough of her left to lift a finger or even sob. The fire hadn't killed her, but left her alone with her thoughts. Alone with her memories. Alone with the nightmeres. Alone with him. Inuyasha. The remnants of what he had been, and the fresher remembrances of the snake he was now._

_Alone with him, with everything he was, with her fears and hurt. It was something not even Kikyo could conquer._

_And so she lay, tortured and unable to cry out, in the hospital bed, afraid and lonely._

_Dying to shed a tear._

Naraku glanced at the bunch gathered before him, and smirked.

"Friends... welcome. I am Naraku, though I believe you formerly knew me as Onigumo. He made a deal with you, before the Shikon no Tama was stolen, am I right?" Murmurs met his little speech, murmurs of agreement. He raised his glass, the crimson fluid glistening in the light of the candles.

"Very good. Now, the Shikon no Tama has resurfaced. I'm here to give you a short lecture."

Naraku moved to the front of the former cathedral, enjoying the attention he was getting. Everyone had fallen on hard times, it seemed, except him. He had boughten the castle-like church and furnished it appropriately. The cathedral hadn't been used for so long it hadn't had electric lights installed, but Naraku like it like that. Far above his head a gong pealed from the belfry, the only area not lit up by the thousands of candles adorning his home.

As he made his way to his lecture room, he motioned the group to follow. With dazed expressions, they followed him up a winding staircase to the second floor of his three story -minus the bell tower- home. And that wasn't including the outbuildings inside the walls. How an European looking cathedral modeled much like a castle had ended up in Japan, he'd never know. But as long as it was here, he should enjoy it.

The gathering reached the boardroom and sat down at the oak table, fidgeting in the high, straightback chairs. Naraku walked to the front, and flpped over the first page of the demonstrative pages on the tri-stand display.

"This is Kikyo Miko, a former gaurd at the old Jinja Museum. Sometime after her supposed death, the Shikon no Tama disappeared. I have information from a reliable source that Kikyo is now part of a secret organization, and that she hid the Shikon no Tama in a girl's stomach during an operation. This girl," He flipped over another piece of paper, revealing a photo of Kagome. "Is Kagome Higurashi, daughter of Teruo and Aira Higurashi. She also happens to be a look a like of Kikyo's. The same source also heard that she is traveling with Inuyasha." He flipped over another page, this a mug shot of Inuyasha. "Inuyasha is the son of Izayoi and Inutaisho. Both the actress's and crimelord's surnames were never revealed to the republic, but I have several speculating that Izayoi's may be Ningen or Onihanayome. Inutaisho's could be Takahashi, Youkai, Daiyoukai, or even Inu, Taisho being his first name. Hence, Inuyasha is known by no last name, he doesn't even acknowledge he has one! Sesshomaru, his half-brother, is no help. Sesshomaru and Inuyasha are enemies, so Sesshomaru is of no value to Inuyasha. Now, another member of Inuyasha's band is Miroku Kazana, or something of the sort. Miroku is a police officer working undercover to locate the jewel shards that Kagome shattered during an attack on her and Inuyasha. Their last reported location was your building, Kagura and Kanna." He nodded at the two sisters, both looking a lot different then they had 8 years ago.

Kagura was thinner, her face more pointy. Her eyes were the same, shifty red pupils, staring straight at you from sly lids. Kagura was quieter, her hair cut shorter than before. Both wore their uniforms and carried their weapons, but both were well worn.

Hakudoshi had let his hair grow out and was now the age of a junior in college, or somewhere around there. His complexion had improved greatly, and he'd lost the purple tint that his brother still had.

The infant, whatever his name was, had grown up to be a clever little boy. Moryamaru, looking about the same except for a tattoo he'd acquired over his right eye, had kept faithful watch over the boy. Quite frankly, the infant was Naraku's key to controlling Hakudoshi.

Just as Kagura, who had foolishly swallowed a remote-detonated bomb, was the key to controlling herself and Kanna.

And his ace-in-the-hole was controlled by her little brother.

As for Muso and Moryamaru, they were his faithful servants- no, slaves. Byakuya was the only one actually gettting _paid._

He caught himself and resumed the lecture, hastily glancing to see if anyone had noticed his reminiscing.

They hadn't.

"Kagome Higurashi is bound to quit the team soon, her spoiled ways will cause her to be a burden. Miroku Kazana will be dead the moment I let out that he's a cop. Quietly, discreetly, and untraceably, he will be disposed of. Now, back to Kikyo and Inuyasha. A source has stated that KIkyo's death was faked and that a woman named Urasue took her to be part of a secret orginazation devoted to catching criminals, often breaking laws and killing their targets if they get in the way. She has recently been cleared to resume missons outside of their HQ. Inuyasha will be thrown when he sees her again, and will become weak. We can then destroy him, if the assassin I've already sent out doesn't, and take care of Kikyo. Now, any questions?" Byakuya, curse his brilliant mind, raised his hand.

"Um, are we supposed to find the jewel shards then? Wouldn't it be easier to let them do the dirty work?"

Naraku's grin slowly faded into a frown. "Oh, I hadn't really though of that..." He mumbled.

"Well, I think we should let them take care of it. If you plan works, we'll easily defeat them and steal the jewels." Byakuya said.

"No, that will take too long. I'll have to work on getting the jewel shards while they search for them too. Then we can attack. I want this to be over as soon as possible, I've had to wait eight years before the jewel resurfaced."

Three teams searching for the jewel shards... who would win? Inuyasha's gathering of rabble? Naraku's slightly more organized crew, or the ever determined Kikyo?

_Leave the mutt out of this. _Naraku thought. _This is between me and Kikyo. King and Queen, race for the jewel!_


End file.
